Friday, October 29, 2010

Dr. Grumpy, for the record, is not a big fan of McDonald's. Nothing personal, I'm just not a fast food person. Like all parents, I end up stopping there on road trips to feed the kids, but I've personally never liked fast food.

But on this one, I'm going to have to side with the Golden Arches. They lost a lawsuit to a manager, who claimed he gained weight from working there.

Excuse me?

Yep. You heard that. A court in Sao Paulo, Brazil, awarded a guy $17,500 on the grounds that his job at McD's made him fat (he gained 65 lbs. over 12 years). He blamed this on the company offering free lunches to employees, as well as feeling "pressured" to frequently taste the food himself to make sure it was good.

Nowhere in the article does it say specifically what the guy was tasting, but I doubt if it was a bag of McLettuce. It also doesn't explain why he couldn't find the time to exercise in 12 years, but I guess that was McD's fault, too. Nor does it mention whether he ever considered changing to a less appetizing job, such as managing a manure farm.

I think the only thing that I find reassuring here is that the case happened in Brazil. We Americans are so used to thinking of the U.S. as the land of the frivolous lawsuit, that it's nice to know the rest of the world is the same. People are people, and the human capacity to blame someone else is infinite.

22 comments:

This is opening up so many monetary possibilities for me! The job that made me cynical, the job that sucked years off my life, the job that made me hate people, the job that caused me to spend all my money on its cool merchandise...

oh, wow.i did not gain weight when i worked at mcd's. how stupid that i would balance my food and do sports when i so easily could have become rich. what a bummer.and i left to serve the greater good, eh, science, and getting paid less.i'm reconsidering my career plans.

As I recall...when working at McD's 35 years ago...the food was not free, but deducted from the pay for a reduced or discounted cost... and if is free nowadays, or if a person was eating food at work...it's their own choice in the matter...workers could've brought their own, like anyone else could (just, probably not Burger King in a brown bag)...and there was no need for 'tasting' anything because it was 'built to specifications' when it came from the Idaho potato fields and so on: http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/students/did_you_know/beefhoaxinfo.html

I must admit my first thought was "Oh, Americans!" so I apologise for that!

Amazing that he kept eating. I know people who worked in a sweet factory near where I live were allowed to sample the products. They said that by the time a month had gone by the smell of the corn syrup and all that gunk that went in the sweets put them off. They hardly ate any junk. I've worked in cafes myself and when i smell of chips generally I'm more likely to crave a salad sandwich.

Wow- maybe I should get a lawyer....cause when I desperately worked at McD's years ago there was no FREE anything (except the grease I wore home everyday omy skin and in m hair)- so maybe I should sue them for discrimination since they gave FREE food in Brazil and not in PA?????!!!!!

I'm amazed that he was willing to eat that food after 12 years of working with it. I worked at McDonald's for a single summer, and it put me off most of the menu for years after. Weeks of getting up at 4 am to fry patties in grease for eight hours, and that smell in your hair the rest of the day--no, I did not want to eat any kind of fried patty after that.

I work for what is probably the McD's largest franchise owner in the United States. Part of my job is handing/processing customer claims. You would not believe some of the crap I hear on a daily basis that is nothing more than someone wanting something for nothing. You spilled that coke on youself and I should pay you $50 why? People see the "M" and see money, not burgers.

As a Brazilian, I have to take offense. Our country may have millions of problems (and I mean it, we really do) but don't even try to compare the culture of litigiousness to that of the US. This is, as far as I recall, the most ridiculous lawsuit I ever heard about in our country. Now if it were in the US, I wouldn't even blink.

Next thing you know, even if carrying in a a Happy Meal, it will be WAY too onerous to prve you are a real American citizen with ocluded coronary artieries to vote by showing ID! If the Chicago dead can vote, why not everyone else who is a ciiszen as evidenced by their Chicago electric bill....

Pattie, RN(less expressive than usual due to drugs from oral sugery three hours ago!)

Being a young student, i have spent my share of time working under those particular shiny arches. And yes - basic staff get a discount on shift (so if they don't bring food to eat, they can eat cheap) and managers eat free. I have spent time as a manager under said arches.

Grab a bowl, mix some of the salad together, grill some of the uncrumbed chicken and grab some OJ or milk. Not hard - quite healthy.

You're entirely correct on this one - it's a lawsuit with no purpose other than to try and mooch a bit of cash.

Just to reiterate to all saying that McD's charges/deducts from pay for food eaten by employees -- the rules are different in Brazil. Brazilian law *requires* employers provide lunch/meals for employees (or vouchers, etc.) This is a nation-wide requirement, no matter what industry you work in.

And, my guess is he cont'd to eat there because it is free. Buying a meal from somewhere else would be cost prohibitive for him. Food in Sao Paulo is NOT cheap, and "brown baggin' it" is not a well known concept in the culture here.

(still, yes, ridiculous law suit, but just wanting to clarify Brazilian culture/norms)

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